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Synonyms

catch on

British  

verb

  1. to become popular or fashionable

  2. to grasp mentally; understand

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
catch on Idioms  

  1. Understand, as in Aunt Mary doesn't catch on to any jokes . The verb to catch alone was used with this meaning from Shakespeare's time, on being added in the late 1800s. Also see get it , def. 2.

  2. Become popular, as in This new dance is really beginning to catch on . [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There are just a few examples of when the damage caused by less lethal munitions, wielded by law enforcement around the country, was caught on camera.

From Salon

The debate ignited when Coco Gauff was caught on camera repeatedly smashing her racquet in the bowels of the stadium following her defeat in the Melbourne quarter-finals on Tuesday.

From Barron's

I don’t want to get caught on this site.

From Literature

Coco Gauff said Tuesday an epic racquet smash after losing heavily to Elina Svitolina at the Australian Open was important to let out her frustration and was disappointed it was caught on camera.

From Barron's

His hoodie was getting filthy, but he was making nice progress until one of the loops on his jeans got caught on a wire.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.